The Voyaging Crew Member Training Program -- a program under the Hawaiian youth leadership initiative Nā Kelamoku -- is just one of the initiatives on the island wanting to preserve their heritage. 'Āina-based education is a form of learning based on culture, values, and language rooted in the land, sea, and air. As one community member explains, "'Āina refers to the land, sea, and air–all that feeds and sustains us." This form of education is not a new concept; the kupuna (ancestors) have used their experiences with the land for centuries. Hawaiian public school systems and indigenous cultures are working to forge school-community partnerships. Through stories, indigenous learn stories, recall names, preparation of traditional foods, native people young and elderly are finding their sense of belonging in a rooted modernity. "You have to start with relationship building first -- between people, between place, family, community." says Herb Lee Jr., executive director of the Pacific American Foundation.

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